Hey man, I'd edit the title of your post to start out with "Red Deer".... like: "Red Deer; is there a climbing community?" That way anyone from Red Deer, or the surrounding areas will see the name, and respond. When I saw the title, I had no idea what this post was about until I read the thread. Sorry I can't help besides that! Good luck!

I honestly didn't know if Red Deer had a climbing wall but apparently it has something

I'm from Edmonton (1.5 hours north) and we've got a pretty strong scene and Calgary (1.5 hours south) has a huge climbing culture. Nordegg, 2 hours directly west has some great climbing with a very quiet culture. Check our COE's site for some background. Banff, Canmore and the Ghost are all 2-2.5 hours away with more climbs than you can shake a stick at. You might want to consider ice though for the winter cause we sure as hell ain't BC or Mexico...

As for driving, this is Alberta. big double lane highways ans straight roads...2 hours is nothing. I'm three hours away from the nearest rock and i often just go for the day... Red Deer's a nice little city and all but I'll bet you be off to Calgary or Edmonton for fun as often as not.

I lived in Red Deer for about 2.5 years and found that there was really no strong climbing culture, I was very disappointed there. I found that people ether liked talking about it more than doing it or they would blow there experance. I hope you have better luck than I.

Don't do it. Moving there from Vancouver you will be in for one hell of a culture shock. If you are planning a job out in the oil and gas fields you should know that there are alot of flaming red necks. Lot's of good people too though so take that for what it's worth... The new hires out there are treated like shit and your basically a bitch and have to put up with some shit, unless you get very lucky.

canmore has one of the greatest climbing communities I have found. Easilly as strong or stronger than Squamish. Good mix of Sport climbers and incredibly bold alpinists.

From what I have found of Lake Louise, the climbing scene is dominantly from out of town.

Red deer has its perks (highest rate of super models per capita on the planet) but the climbing is farther away.

The attitude in that neck of the woods is work hard play hard. Get used to packing for trips thursday night to leave right after work, and arriving a few hours before work monday morning to maximize trips. The Rockies are close, but get used to serious windshield time.

I would beg borrow or steal a book called "rock and road". It should give you a clue if there is any crap crags closer to your Red Deer. Maybe something near Rocky Mountain House?

This might be a bit late, but when it comes to climbing culture, it's loaded in the Rockies!! There's great sites all through Canmore, Banff and the Lake Louise area. They would only be about a 2 - 2.5 hr drive from Red Deer. Go to your local MEC or book store and look up books on climbing in the Rockies. You will see what I mean. 99% of all the sites are well taken care of and already bolted. Lots of variation too. This is one of the best areas in Canada, besides maybe the Chief in the lower mainland when it comes to climbing outdoors.

Nordegg's (1.5-2 hrs from Red Deer) an old coal mining town with some nice hikes, nice climbing and a pretty laid back atmosphere.

Lake Louise (3 hours from Red Deer) is nuts. I stopped in about three years a go and I don't think I'm going back for a long time...frinck'n tourists...

Canmore (2 hrs from Red Deer) is a nice town, busy but not as touristy as Banff.

As for climbing, there are hundreds and hundreds of climbs. Visit Rocky Mountain Books for a list of guide books. As small city's go Red Deer's not that bad...

Lake Louise is fantastic climbing, best gear placements in the rockies and the closest thing to squamish you will find. just busy on the weekends but just hike past all the tourists to the crag, not bad. Coming from squamish you should have no issue with that.

Canmore has amazing trad climbing on loose limestone, probably the best and most concentrated sport climbing in Canada and superb views. Lifetime of climbing. And if you avoid Grass.

I recommend: Don't do it!! While Lake Louise, Jasper, and Canmore, all have loads of mountaineering, ice climbing, and rockclimbing, Red Deer is flat on the prairies and you can't even see the mountains. Unless you want a long drive all the time (and limited options because you are always choosing the closest spot), try to deal with Vancouver or find work in Squamish, Pemberton, Whistler, Revelstoke, Golden, Field, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, or one of the many other places that can provide closer access to a variety of climbing destinations.

Consider also the culture of Vancouver (if you like it) versus a strong red neck / bible belt culture like that of Red Deer. It is the only place (in Canada) that I have ever seen a "big box" Christian store! I lived in Alberta for a few years and met many great folks, but many of them even seemed to have underlying right-leaning tendencies!

One other thing - if you are into back-country skiing, you may as well trade in your goods for ice climbing gear. I moved from BC to Alberta for a bit and realised that I am a snow snob. Interior BC has some of the best snow in the world while many places in Alberta get shallow snowpacks with low temperatures that lead to depth hoar. The ice is second to none though!!